Registered

Today is the first day of the MLB first year player draft, and the Mariners have the fifth overall pick. Most mock drafts have the M's taking Cal pitcher Brandon Morrow, who most agree has the best arm in the draft. Unfortunatly 'best arm' does not translate into 'best stuff'. Although Morrow posses a good, albeit straight, fastball and a developing breaking ball, he has not put up the dominating pitching numbers one would expect. Scouts say alot of this is due to his exposing the ball early in his wind up, allowing hitters a longer window to follow the ball on it's path to the plate. I'm not sure if this is something that can be corrected without throwing his wind up completely out of whack, but it is definetly an area of concern.

Of greater concern is that top prospect Andrew Miller, a left handed pitcher from the University of North Carolina is plummeting down draft boards as the news gets out that he is seeking a signing bonus in the 8 million dollar range. Rumors are creeping in that these demands are an effort to guide Miller down in the draft so that he lands at the 13th pick with the Cubs.

I'm going to be pretty ticked if the Mariners let him slide by, as the hard throwing lefty would be a great fit in Safeco Field. It's not like the M's can't afford the signing bonus either, as they are a big market club, and annually are among the league leaders in profits. A one - two punch in two years of Felix and Miller would be something to see.

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Pitching has dominate the Mariners early picks, as they followed the selection of Morrow with three well built high school pitchers: Chris Tilman, Tony Butler, and Nathan Adcock, in rounds 2,3, and 5. In round 4 they drafted a relief pitcher out of the University of Miami, Ricky Orta, who is said to have good stuff, but has yet to put it together. In round 6 the Mariners drafted their first hitter, Adam Moore, a catcher out of the University of Texas at Arlington.

The Baseball Guru

Pitching has dominate the Mariners early picks, as they followed the selection of Morrow with three well built high school pitchers: Chris Tilman, Tony Butler, and Nathan Adcock, in rounds 2,3, and 5. In round 4 they drafted a relief pitcher out of the University of Miami, Ricky Orta, who is said to have good stuff, but has yet to put it together. In round 6 the Mariners drafted their first hitter, Adam Moore, a catcher out of the University of Texas at Arlington.

Registered

The more time passes the better I feel about the selection of Morrow. The kid has some real positives going for him (great delivery, best arm in the draft, will benefit from the lack of metal bats in the minors). Miller's bonus demands were evidently starting at 8 million, which is insane for an unproven prospect. I can understand (now that I've had time to think about it) why the M's would take a pass on him.

The catcher, Moore, is unlikely to stay behind the plate from what I have heard. He will be moved to either first base or a corner outfield position. He wasn't drafted for his glove, but for his bat. He has displayed good power and a great eye at the plate during his college days.

Outside of adding a centerfielder from Florida State and a shortstop from Stanford, the Mariners have continued to draft pitcher after pitcher (none who truly stand out) trying to restock the lower levels of the minor league system.

The Baseball Guru

The more time passes the better I feel about the selection of Morrow. The kid has some real positives going for him (great delivery, best arm in the draft, will benefit from the lack of metal bats in the minors). Miller's bonus demands were evidently starting at 8 million, which is insane for an unproven prospect. I can understand (now that I've had time to think about it) why the M's would take a pass on him.

The catcher, Moore, is unlikely to stay behind the plate from what I have heard. He will be moved to either first base or a corner outfield position. He wasn't drafted for his glove, but for his bat. He has displayed good power and a great eye at the plate during his college days.

Outside of adding a centerfielder from Florida State and a shortstop from Stanford, the Mariners have continued to draft pitcher after pitcher (none who truly stand out) trying to restock the lower levels of the minor league system.

Major League Baseball is planning radical changes to the playoffs to begin in 2022. The changes, summarized:
Seven playoff teams in each league, up from five
Team with best record in each league gets first-round bye
Two division winners and best wild card team host best-of-three series against...

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fantasy/bts/y2016/splash_index.jsp
Downloaded the app today after my coworkers told me about it. Seems fun and apparently it's never been done. Free to play. Maybe this will get me more interested in watching baseball.